The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality
The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality is a book written by Austrian School economist and libertarian thinker Ludwig von Mises. It is an investigation into the psychological roots of the anti-capitalistic stance that is widespread in the general populations of the capitalist world. Von Mises suggests various reasons for this mentality, primarily his claim that free competition in the market economy allows for no excuses of one's failures. Frustrated ambition 'In a society based on caste and status, the individual can ascribe adverse fate to conditions beyond his own control. instance He is a slave because the superhuman powers that determine all becoming had assigned him this rank. ... It is quite another thing under capitalism. Here everybody's station in life depends on his own doing ... The sway of the principle, to each according to his accomplishments, does not allow of any excuse for personal shortcomings' (pp.11–12) According to the author, faced with this burden many who have fared poorly in the market economy seek a scapegoat to shift the blame from themselves and restore their self-image. Common misunderstandings According to von Mises, Marxian philosophy has heavily influenced the way the general public interprets its economic condition and perceives of capitalism. The average wage-earner's high standard of living is viewed as an inevitable result of 'self-acting progress', akin to Marx's 'material productive forces'. It is believed that these material productive forces (e.g. technological innovations) are not only independent of capitalism but will eventually force capitalism to yield to more advanced forms of socialist organisation. Till that day the exploiting capitalists will continue to refuse workers their fair share of this progress. The notion of 'fair share' is devoid of meaning, because both capital and labour are necessary to produce goods and it is impossible to assign a proportion of the end product as belonging to either labour or capital. He also argues that even more importantly the historical increase in the average wage-earner's rewards is due solely to the accumulation of capital, and in particular to "the fact that the rate of capital accumulation exceeds the rate of increase in population' (p.88). According to von Mises, "All pseudo-economic doctrines which depreciate the role of saving and capital accumulation are absurd ... What has improved the wage earners' standard of living is the fact that the capital equipment per head of the men eager to earn wages has increased. It is a consequence of this fact that an ever increasing portion of the total amount of usable goods produced goes to the wage earners" (p.89) Criticism The Economist called it a "resoundingly silly" caricature of economic liberalism and "a sad little book" that is simplistically dogmatic and displays "cocksure superficiality" in an abusive tone. The review suggested that the book would receive "low marks if presented by a second-year undergraduate to his tutor," and that "the case for freedom ... is ill served" by such a book. It accused von Mises of attacking straw men and having contempt for the facts of human nature, comparing him in that respect to Marxists."Liberalism in Caricature", The Economist Conservative commentator, and former Communist Whittaker Chambers published a similarly negative review in the National Review, stating that Mises's thesis that anti-capitalist sentiment was rooted in "envy" epitomized "know-nothing conservatism" at its "know-nothingest."Quoted in Sam Tanenhaus, Whittaker Chambers: A Biography, (Random House, New York, 1997), p. 500. ISBN 978-0-375-75145-5. Publication English * The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality. D. Van Nostrand Company, 1956; London: Macmillan, 1956. *Reprinted in full (pp. 323-383) in Omnibus Volume 6. New Rochelle, NY: Conservative Book Club, n.d.,(1966?). Reprint of 1956 edition. * Enlarged edition with addenda. South Holland, IL: Libertarian Press, 1972. *Reprint (containing Mises' text only; omits addenda to 1972 edition). Spring Mills, PA: Libertarian Press, 1990. * Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2006."[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anti-Capitalistic_Mentality The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality," Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Web, Dec. 1, 2012 ISBN 0-86597-670-8 (cloth), ISBN 0-86597-671-6 * Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2008. Translated *'Swedish:' Den antikapitalistika mentaliteten (translated by Lennart Thureson). Stockholm: Natur och Kultur, 1957. *'Spanish:' La Mentalidad Anticapitalista (translated by J. Reig; included "Estudio preliminar" Discussion). Valencia: Fundación Ignacio Villalonga: (Biblioteca de Estudios Ecónomicos), 1957. ** Buenos Aires: Fundación Bolsa de Comercio, n.d. 1961?. * German: Die Wurzeln des Anti-Kapitalismus Roots of Anti-Capitalism (translated by Stephen Frowen). Frankfurt am Main: Fritz Knapp, 1958. ** Second edition (new foreword by Peter Muthesius). Frankfurt am Main: Fritz Knapp, 1979. *'Portuguese:' A Mentalidade Anticapitalista (translated by Carlos dos Santos Abreu). Rio de Janeiro: José Olympio; Instituto Liberal, 1988. *'Italian:' La Mentalità Anticapitalistica (translated by Elda Guglielmetti; edited by Lorenzo Infantino). Rome: Armando, 1988. *'Polish:' Mentalnosc Antykapitalistyczna (translated by Jan M. Malek). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Niepodleglosc, 1991. **Kraków: Wydawnictwo Arcana, 2005. ISBN 9788386225873 *'Russian:' (translation by Boris Pinsker; published together with Pinsker's Russian translations of Bureaucracy and Planned Chaos). Moscow: Catallaxy, 1993. *'Czech translation:' Antikapitalistická Mentalita (translated by Jirí Pilucka). Prague: Obcansky Institut, 1994. * Korean: 자본주의정신과반자본주의심리 / Chabonjuŭi chŏngsin kwa panjabonjuŭi simni, 한국경제연구원, Sŏul Tʻŭkpyŏlsi : Hanʼguk Kyŏngje Yŏnʼguwŏn, 1995. ISBN 9788980310302 Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Ludwig von Mises Institute.Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) Chronological Bibliography, Ludwig von Mises Institute. Web, Nov. 30, 2012. See also * * Laissez-faire * Austrian school * Anti-Communism References External links * The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality, 1956 edition: ** Full text in HTML ** Full text in PDF) Category:1956 books Category:Anti-capitalism Category:Austrian School publications Category:Capitalist books Category:Economics books Category:Libertarian books Category:Political books ru:Антикапиталистическая ментальность